Colombo: A minister said on Wednesday that the Sri Lankan government is unaware of any move to arrest former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the Easter Sunday bombings case. Nalin Jayathissa, the Minister of Health and Mass Media, said this in response to a statement by opposition politician Udaya Gammanpila who accused the government of plotting…
Washington: The Trump administration has confirmed that the deportation of Chinese nationals is still underway as part of a broader effort to enforce U.S. immigration laws. In an emailed response to VOA this week, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official wrote that the agency is removing from the United States any immigrant who is…
New York/Washington: In a surprising announcement, President Donald Trump said the US “will take over” the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, “own it” and undertake economic development there that will create “unlimited numbers of jobs and housing”. Trump made these remarks on Tuesday during a joint press conference in the White House with visiting Israeli Prime Minister…
Stockholm: Swedish police said on Tuesday five people were shot in an attack at a school in the city of Orebro some 200 km (125 miles) west of Stockholm, triggering a massive response by rescue services. “Five persons are confirmed shot,” police said in a statement. “This is currently seen as attempted murder, arson, and…
Hong Kong: Beijing announced tariffs on Tuesday on certain American imports including fuels and slapped export controls on several raw materials in retaliation for the Trump administration’s imposition of 10% tariffs on Chinese imports into the United States. The fresh duties, announced by China’s Ministry of Finance, levy a 15% tax on certain types of…
Washington: A US military aircraft carrying illegal migrants has departed for India, news agency Reuters reported on Monday. The C-17 plane, which left with the migrants onboard, is expected to reach India in at least 24 hours. President Donald Trump has increasingly relied on the military to support his immigration policies, including deploying additional troops to…
Washington: United States President Donald Trump has agreed to “pause” the tariffs on Mexican goods for one month. Trump, in a social media post, said that negotiations would continue to reach a “deal” between the two countries. The announcement was made after Trump held talks with his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum. Sheinbaum also confirmed that…
Islamabad: Jailed former premier Imran Khan wrote a letter to Pakistan Army chief Gen Asim Munir, criticizing the establishment’s policies and urging him to review its approach towards national security and governance as his party prepares for protests on the first anniversary of the general elections later this week. Khan, who has been incarcerated in…
United Nations: India has experienced “remarkable transformation” in the last decade, UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang has said, underlining that his upcoming visit to the country will allow him to see how digital and technological innovation has “fuelled this change”. Yang will visit India from February 4 to 8, his first official visit to…
Ottawa: Canada will hit back at US tariffs with 25 percent levies of its own on select American goods, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday. “Canada will be responding to the US trade action with 25 percent tariffs against Can$155 billion ($106 billion) worth of American goods,” he said in a dramatic tone as he warned…
